Catering Overtime versus Extra Staff
Overtime cost difference = extra hours × overtime rate − extra staff monthly cost
Gather recipe sheets, supplier invoices and stock counts. Include ingredients, staffing, and delivery. The starting figures are examples. Replace them with your own records.
Formula and worked example
Overtime cost difference = extra hours × overtime rate − extra staff monthly cost
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Extra hours needed monthly | 80 |
| Overtime hourly cost | 45 |
| Monthly extra staff cost | 4,000 |
| Calculated result | -400 monthly cost difference |
Choose reliable inputs
Track purchased quantities, usable yield, labour and waste before deciding on a selling price. For this catering calculation, use recipe sheets, supplier invoices and stock counts and a consistent definition of one event order.
- Ingredients: include the portion belonging to this event order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Staffing: include the portion belonging to this event order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Delivery: include the portion belonging to this event order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Does the cheaper option always have enough capacity?
Check actual available hours, skills, schedules, and service requirements before using a cost-only comparison.
Negative means overtime is cheaper on entered costs only; fatigue, coverage, and hiring costs are excluded.
What if this input changes?
If extra hours needed monthly rises by 10%, this example changes by 360 monthly cost difference. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.